Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Water Skiing For Everyone!


One of the Oldest of Watersports


As a young boy we always spent our weekends and summers at our summer place which is right on one of the Great Lakes. About 15yrs. old most of our Dad's let us take out our "small boats" as opposed to the larger family boat who no one could touch but Dad. It worked for us though - no complaints!

My buddy had a 16' Lyman with a 25 hp Johnson motor and was very gutsy in the short haul. More horses but a lot of weight. We had a small 15' Crestliner aluminum boat with an 18 hp Johnson motor. Now Dave (my friend from above) would gun his throttle and lose me for about 20 yds as my lighter boat kept rising, nose first, into the air. At that point, the nose would slam down into the water as the perfectly balanced boat and motor planed out perfectly smooth, with only the prop in the water. It would only take a minute or so and it was bye bye David! I had often had larger boats clock me at full throttle - doing 25mph - which is scorching hot in a 15 ft aluminum row boat. I can still see it some 40 yrs later as if it were yesterday. So we took turns driving and usually ended up in gas docks where the attendants would sell anyone beer and smokes, who had a boat to pull up with and tie off. At 15 yrs old we were living large. We then filled up and cruised the deep water row of buoys, where all the teens bobbed up and down - with toes just touching enough to keep their mouths above water. We waved to the girls and usually scored a date for the night at our local Club's dancehall. There was a section closed off where you could buy brews if you were 18 but that never stopped us from slowly getting into the good graces of the bouncer "Frog" who sat outside the chain link fence beer section. I guess after a few years Frog just assumed we were old enough and allowed us free and safe passage into "The Cage". To be in Frog's company nightly and obviously his little buddies - we were bulletproof against anyone 18 and over. That came in handy on many occasions since "The Cage" erupted into full scale brawls on a nightly basis. Touch the little smart a** punks - unthinkable, they're with Frog.

One last thought about the Frog. He was about 6' tall and weighed in at about 300lbs and sported the longest, greasiest DA haircut you've ever seen. His hair would put Elvis or the Fonz to shame. He was also impervious to pain, or so it seemed. He routinely cleared The Cage, carrying out skinny 19 yr olds - one in each hand and toss them into the gravel outside the entrance to the dance hall. But I digress....

Half the day was spent using our precious funds for water skiing gasoline. We would do both skis, one ski - it didn't matter so long as we were jumping the wake and slamming into the water eventually from exhaustion or a bad move. We skied off the piers from our butts, laying in the water and being pulled out with two skis and dropping one, or just start solo which is mostly what we did - saved time locating the kicked off ski. Worst injuries were usually incurred by "not" letting go of the tow rope and almost drowning, followed by a trailing ski smashing into our skulls at about 20 mph - just as we would surface with a gasp for air and big smiles on our faces! OHWWWW! That really hurts! Yes, we took our share of stitches, lumps and black eyes. Now, I always carry a first aid kit and put it into a waterproof case for protection.

My most vivid memory of some serious water skiing came when a loud rumble was heard one morning from down at our docks. Here one of my pal's Dad was a factory authorized Mercury outboard dealer and put together a very - VERY hot boat for us to play in. It was a twin v-hull two seater with small jump seat area for gear and gas, then two large 140 hp Mercs on the back for power. It was not a choppy water boat but we used it largely in the bays and inlets where we could really open it up. The speedometer buried at 60mph+ as the theme from Twilight Zone plays. So what did we do first day? Right - we put on a full body skiing jacket, I jumped in the water first and we decided to take it up to the limit using hand gestures. I noticed that when I gave him the "let's go" signal and he floored it, there was no dragging, I just popped upright immediately (that takes a lot of weight or power). I kept motioning him "faster" and he held up 5 fingers to let me know we were approaching, or at 50mph. All being well, I gave him one more hand forward gesture for speed and the freakiest accident happened. The prop wash trail lengthened - being so powerful that it didn't smooth out until a few feet before my ski tips! And in the blink of an eye I saw the prop wash cover the left ski tip and all of a sudden I had been hit a crushing blow by Mike Tyson or been hit by a semi-truck! I hit the water so hard that it didn't even feel like water but concrete that I was rolling and tumbling across. Suddenly it softened and there I bobbed, feeling elated at the monster ride but a little worse for wear if I may say so!

So if you have a rowboat with a motor that will get you over 20 mph or a Funny Car version like I wiped out behind. There's plenty of fun to be had with one of the oldest and most practiced water sports. Get out those water skis and have a go at it - you'll be glad you did!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Parasailing Anyone?


Two Sports in One!


"The first Parasails were developed by Pierre-Marcel Lemoigne in 1961. Lemoigne is a well known developer of ParaCommander-type of parachutes known as 'ParaCommander' or PC-canopies. The first towing of a parasail is not known, but one of the first mentions is a flight by Colonel Michel Tournier from France flying behind a tractor in the same year - 1961."

Wow, boating is great fun and I would bet my last dollar that the parachuting part of this cool sport would appeal to those who're too smart to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft. I have always wanted to parachute from an airplane and have not done so thusfar. I think this nice, gentle lift-off, from the land or sea and a limited altitude would strike a great balance and would also appeal to a wider range of people.

In such a rig one could look out over the waters of Hawaii. There are many companies that cater to tourists seeking water sports in the islands of the Aloha state. I even found one as low as $59 per trip (per person), where they shuttle you to the parasail boat and "experienced captains will fly you 300 ft over the clear Pacific Ocean. For added fun you can be dunked in the cool refreshing water. The ride will leave you breathless and a guarantee to return again and repeat the experience at your earliest possible convenience."

At least that's what they claim. One great thing is that you can easily spot large sharks and try to avoid the premature ending of a trip by giving the old water-skiing "faster signal" which is done by a forward moving, straight armed gesture. No reason to have your ride end with you gently splashing down like a human fishing lure and right in front of a 14 ft Tiger shark - but I digress.

If you're heading out on a vacation or even find yourself with free time on a business trip to a location that offers this relatively new, cool sport, I'd highly recommend giving it a whirl. Don't forget to seal your personal stuff in an all purpose waterproof pouch and leave it with the family or the Captain. You can even tie it off, or wear it around your neck by using the included lanyard. Here's a vote for getting out of your hotel suite and trying out flying - high and safely!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Storm Photography!


Capturing the Power of Nature


There are certain photographers who aren't content with doing portraits in a studio all day, don't care to work for a tabloid - but want to shoot nature on film, or digital/digital video. Some are a bit extreme like the guys who shoot video for Survival programs aired on TV and others love shooting the weather and it's effects on land and man. How do they get those wonderful shots of storm surf breaking high into the sky as wave after wave slam into break-walls? How do they get those shots in the pouring rain of the Amazon forests or the Alaskan landscape with it's notoriously temperamental weather? How do they get those powerful shots of volcanoes bursting or hurricanes slamming into various landfalls?

The question is easily answered. They protect their photography gear with a 100% waterproof housing or use what is called a hurricane hood or a rain cape. These are partial housings that protect against almost all wet environments but aren't completely submersible. They allow for almost any camera, be it broadcast quality down to the smallest video camcorder. The bottoms open and close by using snaps, zippers or Velcro closure systems for quick "hands inside" adjustments while offering the opportunity of a quick re-closure. The bottoms open for use with a tripod as well. Some even have swing out sections for the LCD screen and are a real joy to use after struggling with a dive housing. Use the gear that the pros use and pick up your ewa-marine hurricane hood before your next nature "shoot", they are affordable, highly portable and very cheap insurance!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Dive Wallets Stop Crime!


An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

So you've decided to take the family to the beach for an afternoon of play and romping in the ocean/lake. It should come as no surprise that wherever large portions of the population gather, be it a baseball game, basketball game or at a local beach, there will also be men/women "at work." These workers being the local drug addicts, drunks and your run-of-the-mill thieves. They will, like any predator, gain a point of vantage to allow them to view the proceedings before them and single out likely families (lone attendees are not exempt either), observe what they have brought in the way of "gear" and after making a mental note of what is readily available (cell phones, wallets, cameras and more) will use an accomplice or by themselves, stroll by the excited family's blanket and hit them for all of their easily saleable goodies that have been left in a beach bag or underneath the blanket, while the family is in the water and be gone in just a few seconds - leaving you possibly w/o a room key, any cash and worse. It happens every day.

There are two products available and designed to thwart this behavior and keep this scenario from happening to you! I am talking about a product called waterproof sports pouches. For protection while snorkeling or scuba diving is the Waterproof DUS Sports Pouch. Or, for wading, protection against submersions, or just wearing around a belt or around the neck, there are the Waterproof DU Sports Pouches which are more popular and even cheaper than the DUS "diving models". These have a closure system that is 100% waterproof, but may slowly work itself loose during the rigors of snorkeling, or withstand the water pressures of deep scuba diving - these activities, as mentioned, require the DUS waterproof pouch.

The best way to avoid theft of your valuables while in the pool, ocean or lake is to take them with you! These waterproof all-purpose pouches are a great way to have your valuables right at your fingertips and also a great way to stop a thief before they ruin YOUR vacation. These are a "must have" item and the cost is so affordable - I wouldn't feel sorry for any reader who took a hit for their purse or wallet, having ever seen one or walked by one w/o purchasing at least one or two. They are awfully cheap insurance. I'd rather not have to make that call that we see on TV commercials - requesting emergency cash, credit cards and what have you. You'd still need a waterproof sports pouch and be out of whatever is NOT covered by that emergency phone call. It just makes sense!